EZ Mailing Brings Offset Back with RMGT 9 Press
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — July 23, 2019 — With mergers and acquisitions affecting printers in the direct mail and fulfillment market, EZ Mailing had a significant decision to make back in 2014. Kevin Bennett, President of EZ Mailing, based in Indianapolis, IN, bought the assets of the business and had no intention of becoming a sheetfed offset printer again. The business was based around mailing and fulfillment, and Bennett, who had sold print for nearly 30 years previously, planned to just broker any offset print while focusing on his digital print and mailing operations.
“With the existing digital print capabilities of the company we acquired, I have the distinct memory of thinking that only an idiot would jump back into purchasing big iron (offset presses),” states Bennett. That changed, however, as he quickly discovered that brokering out the print work meant a loss of control over everything from timelines to quality, and a whole lot of the profits as well.In June 2018, he took a big step and purchased Haywood Printing, a commercial shop based in Layfette, and immediately put the older offset press that came with the business up for sale — and put down a deposit for the new RMGT 920.
One of the biggest draws for Bennett, for whom mail continues to be a large portion of the business, is the offset speed and quality, without the need for press powder. “Press powder kills,” he says. “If I printed a job offset on one side, and variable-data on the other, I blow press powder through the digital press. With LED-UV technology on the RMGT 9 Series press, I don’t have that issue.”
RMGT – Making the economics of Offset more profitable
While Bennett does have a large fleet of digital presses for those variable projects, he notes that he doesn’t just run everything on those units “because of the cost. That click rate will eat you alive,” he says. “And what is the life span of a digital press? Maybe 3-5 years? With offset, it’s 20 or more. We pulled a lot of the jobs we were running digital before, and we’ve moved them back to offset on the RMGT press. I can take a postcard job that would be around 3,000 clicks digitally and run it eight-up on the RMGT in a few minutes time and pocket the extra money.”
It’s not even about the quality, or even the color fidelity, which Bennett notes are fantastic across the board. Rather, he stresses that the RMGT has made the economics of print much more favorable. “I can manufacture a piece more cost-effectively on offset,” he says. At the same time, because the RMGT 9 Series press uses LED-UV curing, there is no dry time either like there would be on a conventional press, allowing him to “do a pass through, then just flip it over and run it again for the other side. And I can send it right to finishing from there. I can have a 1,500 sheetjob done from plates to finished in less than 15 minutes.”
Print isn’t dead, Offset is alive
“EZ Mailing is the perfect example of how not only is print not dead, but offset print is very much alive and well, and still has a powerful role to play in today’s industry,” says Chris Manley, President of Graphco, the RMGT Distributor in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. “We are also extremely proud to work with Kevin Bennett, who I call an Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur. Within a few weeks of showing Kevin what the RMGT 9 could do for his business, he had placed his order and made plans to visit the RMGT factory in Japan. We are thrilled to see that his quick calculated, decision-making has resulted in great gains for his business.”
Gary Greis, Graphco Regional Manager adds, “The RMGT 9 Series press is a perfect bridge between offset and digital, allowing printers to gain the benefits of shorter, more cost-effective runs, while also eliminating press powder and other chemicals, and getting the instant dry times for better productivity. No matter what vertical or print type a shop is targeting, EZ Mailing proves this press can be a game changer.”
About Graphco
Graphco is the industry’s leading provider of offset, digital, and print finishing solutions. We proudly import the RMGT line of new offset printing presses featuring market-leading LED-UV curing technology, Smart Insta.Color automated make-ready, and our popular Packaging Edition presses. All RMGT presses offer best-in-class reliability and durability. The Graphco Technical Service Team stands behind every RMGT press and Graphco’s reputation for top-notch service is second to none. Since 1976, Graphco has thrived in an ever-changing market place by loyally adhering to our original model for success: Providing best-in-class print production equipment along with reliable and assured technical service. Learn more about Graphco at www.graphco.com
About RMGT (RYOBI MHI Graphic Technology)
RMGT is among the world’s largest manufacturers of sheet-fed offset printing presses and the world leader in LED-UV technology with over 450 placements worldwide. Our high-speed, fully-automated presses are respected worldwide for unsurpassed print quality, low total cost of ownership, extreme ease of operation, and unmatched reliability. In partnership with Panasonic, RMGT released LED-UV Curing for Print at DRUPA 2008 and we now offer the only G3 LED-UV technology on the market. Headquartered outside of Hiroshima Japan, RMGT is a joint venture company bringing together the best technology and manufacturing expertise of Ryobi Limited and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The enhanced product lineup and strengthened manufacturing prowess makes RMGT an indispensable brand for the printing industry. Learn more about RMGT athttp://www.ryobimhi.com